Betting News - Top Trainers

Although natural ability plays a role in every horse race around the country, there is undoubtedly a human impact on the outcome of races. Jockeys and trainers can help horses reach their potential or prevent them from achieving it. Betting News trainer analysis tool is here to help horseplayers understand which type of trainers have runners in today's race.

One of the key elements of understanding trainers is the fact that trainers are creatures of habit. When they find something that works, they will repeat it over and over. This may include frequent success at a certain distance, on a certain surface, at a certain level, or during a specific meet. This is where the power of Betting News' trainer analysis tool can be a huge asset to any handicapper.

By using the filters a player can get away from using standard win and in-the-money percentages and instead break down how the trainer specifically does in races that fit today's conditions. This may suggest that a super trainer that everyone is likely to use may not have the horse ready to go today or that the little low percentage barn is ready to fire their one shot today. Either way it can mean a profitable day at the races. As you adjust the filters the DHP ratings will also adjust to reflect the trainer's proficiency at getting a horse in-the-money under the selected conditions.

Don't forget to check out the jockey analysis tool to give yourself a further edge on the competition!

Track

Surface

Condition

Distances

Race Types

Posts

Top Trainers

Name Starts Win % Show % DHP
1st/2nd/3rd
4th or 5th
6th +
Wilson Shane 887 11% 33% Bad
296
234
357
Asmussen Steven M 876 19% 47% Good
412
214
250
Cox Brad H 830 28% 63% Great
521
174
135
Sharp Joe 829 18% 46% Avg
382
205
242
Calhoun W Bret 800 19% 49% Good
393
185
222
Faucheux Ron 733 24% 55% Great
405
153
175
Amoss Thomas M 727 24% 54% Great
389
164
174
Foster Joseph M 673 10% 34% Bad
227
172
274
David Sam B 602 12% 44% Poor
264
135
203
Stidham Michael 598 15% 43% Poor
258
140
200
Stall Albert M 539 16% 47% Avg
254
115
170
Duhon Joe O 524 10% 37% Bad
192
114
218
Richards Corale A 479 8% 31% Bad
148
142
189
Hartman Chris A 455 20% 54% Great
247
92
116
Alonzo Howard 447 7% 26% Bad
116
117
214
Foley Gregory D 437 16% 46% Avg
201
98
138
Camejo Jose M 430 16% 46% Avg
196
102
132
Rodriguez Eduardo 421 10% 37% Bad
155
113
153
Stewart Dallas 410 17% 48% Avg
196
85
129
Broberg Karl 404 15% 41% Poor
165
96
143
Walsh Brendan P 402 16% 44% Avg
177
103
122
Thomas Lee 373 12% 34% Bad
127
81
165
Casse Mark E 366 16% 44% Avg
162
90
114
Scherer Gary M 341 13% 38% Poor
130
84
127
Gelner Scott 328 9% 32% Bad
106
94
128
Bourgeois Keith G 316 14% 45% Avg
142
77
97
Jeansonne Justin 315 17% 46% Avg
146
74
95
Desormeaux J Keith 312 15% 42% Poor
131
77
104
Maker Michael J 298 10% 40% Poor
119
78
101
Hodges James E 281 14% 45% Avg
126
64
91
Lovell Michelle 279 11% 42% Poor
116
71
92
Ducoing Sturges J 278 15% 43% Poor
119
64
95
Mouton Patrick 257 11% 31% Bad
80
79
98
Brinkman Brett A 245 8% 36% Bad
87
58
100
Flint Steven B 243 12% 38% Poor
93
73
77
Robertson Hugh H 240 15% 44% Avg
106
63
71
Margolis Steve R 231 16% 39% Poor
91
61
79
Ney John 226 12% 35% Bad
80
53
93
Pessin Neil L 225 13% 39% Poor
88
61
76
Roussel Louie J 223 16% 43% Avg
97
69
57
Govea Cesar 223 11% 28% Bad
62
76
85
Catalano Wayne M 214 14% 40% Poor
86
57
71
Schwandt Emile 212 12% 34% Bad
72
43
97
Hatcher Nathan D 208 5% 17% Bad
35
50
123
Schmidt Denise 206 8% 28% Bad
57
55
94
Dorochenko Gennadi 206 4% 21% Bad
43
64
99
Leonard George 196 11% 38% Poor
75
52
69
Balderas Alfonso 194 8% 28% Bad
55
49
90
Breaux Samuel 191 7% 28% Bad
54
50
87
Cuccia L Jay 189 7% 32% Bad
61
52
76

Why Trainers Matter?

Trainers are entrusted by the owners of the horse to prepare them to win races. Think of a trainer like the coach of a team. Individually the trainer cannot win the race, but the way the trainer prepares the athlete for the race can maximize the horse’s ability. This becomes especially important as horses start to mature beyond their two year old season.

Why is the DHP Top Trainer Tool Helpful?

Horses can be upgraded or downgraded based on their trainers, but many people will overgeneralize the effectiveness of a trainer based on their overall win percentage. However, even the best trainers have blind spots and the weakest trainers have some ability that allows them to pay bills and attract new owners to their barn.

Using the DHP Top Trainer Tool for a Race

To use the top jockey tool follow the steps below:

  1. Change the drop down menus to match any or all of the conditions for the race you are handicapping.
    • Track: Many trainers will have meets that they like to point their horses to. It is very hard to have horses fully cranked year round. Knowing which meets a trainer targets can be a great separator.
    • Surface: With dirt and turf surfaces running so dramatically different in terms of race flow, it is not surprising that many trainers who excel on dirt are less effective with turf runners. The same is true for those who are prolific with turfers.
    • Condition: This factor plays the biggest role when the ground is not fast or firm. Off tracks typically will favor trainers that are good at putting early speed into their horses.
    • Distance: Horse races are often classified as either sprints (less than 8 furlongs) or routes (one mile and over). However, dynamics can change dramatically depending on the various lengths within each of these categories. If a trainer is good at training sprinters, they may be left vulnerable in route races and vice versa.
    • Race Types: This is especially important for trainers. Some trainers get the best of the best talent at the track which will be reflected with high marks in the stakes and allowance ranks. Some trainers are masters of the claiming game (buying and selling horses out of races). A claiming trainer who sends out a stakes runner may be in too deep. A top stakes trainer may be racking up high percentages with good animals but when they drop to the claiming ranks, they can’t move average horses forward. Understanding which levels the trainer excels at is paramount to unlocking hidden value in races.
    • Barriers/Post Positions: Post position stats for trainers are of limited importance and may be used to eliminate horses in clear weak spots for the trainer, but likely won’t uncover any actionable angle by itself. This filter can still be useful, but should be used in combinations with other filters in the menu.
  2. Once you have set any or all of the filters, select the “Refresh Charts” button to see the updated data which reflects your race.

Using the Top Trainer Tool for an Individual Trainer

While the top trainer tool is extremely effective for comparing all trainers in a given race, it can also be a major factor when analyzing an individual trainer.

This can be done from the top trainer charts. Simply find the trainer you want to look up and click their name. You will now see a report of their rating and percentages at every one of the filters from the top trainer tool.

Using this view you may be able to identify spots where you can beat a high percentage trainer. For example, Bob Baffert wins at a nearly 30% clip across all races. His horses are often crushed at the windows and offer little value. However, looking closer at the trainer profile the is rated as “Poor” on turf. Many people will see the 28% winning percentage and bet his horses without recognizing that many of his turf runners do not perform to the level of his dirt contingent. This can provide a great advantage for the horse player who can look to fade this super trainer on turf.